06 Nov Douglas Home & Company Makes Two New Appointments In Senior Team
Commencing their new roles earlier this summer, Chartered Account and Tax Specialists Victoria Bewley and Mike Johnston, received promotions to new positions within the Douglas Home & Co senior team. Victoria is now an associate and Mike has been appointed to the position of a director. Victoria and Mike both work in our Advisory department and with over 25 years of company experience between them they have acquired a wealth of knowledge across both the business and the industry.
After graduating from Newcastle University with a degree in Accounting and Finance in 2007, Victoria found the ideal working opportunity right here at Douglas Home & Company and instantly liked the positive environment and great people that make us the company we are. Since her arrival, Victoria has seen us grow significantly over the past decade saying, “Back in 2007, there was only one office and about 15 people working at Douglas Home & Company and today there is about 70 people across several offices in Scotland and the north of England. The business has grown, and I’ve grown alongside the business since then which has been a great learning journey for me and I am delighted to have become an Associate.”
After qualifying as a CA in 2012, Victoria has managed our advisory department for the past 5 years and she will continue to do so in her new role as an associate. Despite moving to Cumbria to run our Penrith office she will still be attending to clients in the Scottish Borders. Alongside her financial expertise Victoria also has a background in rural affairs, having grown up on a farm and being involved with horse racing, which she will continue to utilise. Victoria commented on the promotion saying, “In my new role, my aim is to continue to grow the Advisory department and expand our offering of services by continuing to adopt a proactive rather than reactive approach to our client work.”
Mike originally joined us in 1998 and became a qualified CA in 1999. He initially become a Director from 2003-2011 before emigrating to Australia where he remained for the next three years. During his time in Australia he continued to work as an account before his return to the UK and to Douglas Home & Co in 2014. On his decision to return to us, Mike said, “There’s a great culture at Douglas Home & Company. It’s more forward thinking than many other financial companies and there’s a lot more positivity and eagerness to find solutions for clients. That’s why I wanted to work here again and didn’t even consider going anywhere else.”
On his return, Mike was recruited to head up our Advisory department which has been growing rapidly over the past decade. In his appointment as a director Mike is most looking forward to continuing working closely with his clients. He also commented, “There’s so much variety in this job compared to what it can be like in other accountancy firms. For example, if you are the one person who does the tax returns the work can be quite narrow. I find, whether it’s working in advisory tax planning or business development or inheritance tax, whatever it is, every day is different – it keeps you on your toes.”